


Absence

by fangirl_squee



Series: homies help homies, always [30]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-25
Updated: 2013-05-25
Packaged: 2017-12-12 23:48:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/817460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s strange, you don’t notice how much time you spend with somebody until they’re not there. (or, Marius and Grantaire miss each other over a weekend apart)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Absence

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the repost guys! I was fiddling around with this on my phone last night and because my phone hates me it deleted the fic.
> 
> For time-frame-reference, this is set post-Marius and Cosette first date, but pre-Grantaire and Enolras start dating.

Marius drops Grantaire at the bus station after he finishes work on Friday afternoon. Some of Grantaire’s travelling friends had called mid-week, needing someone to fill in for their usual guitarist over the weekend. It was just that little bit too far away to be bothered with bussing there and back each day, so Grantaire had decided to stay with them over the weekend.

 

Grantaire hefts his backpack on his shoulder, settling the weight of it as he leans on the driver’s side door to say goodbye. “You’re still okay with picking me up on Sunday?”

 

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” says Marius, “say hi to your musician friends for me.”

 

Grantaire laughs. “Yeah, okay. Try not to miss me too much.”

 

Marius smiles. “Same to you!”

 

Grantaire waves to him as his drives off. Marius hums along to the radio on the way back to the house. It almost feels strange being in the car by himself. It’s not that Grantaire’s _always_ in the car with him, it’s just that usually if he’s heading home then Grantaire is as well, sitting in the passenger seat and fiddling with the radio.

 

Marius gets a text a few hours later, while he’s in the middle of his required reading for the week. The message tone sounds louder than usual in the empty house.

 

[From: R] arrived safe and sound, don’t fret. straight to sound check and then on stage, good thing i know most of their songs.

 

Marius sends back a picture of his text book and the pile of notes next to in response.

 

[From: R] wow, try not to party TOO hard.

 

Marius smiles down at the phone.

 

When Marius wakes up the next morning he flicks to radio on by habit, and then makes two mugs of tea.

 

“Gran – Oh. Right,” says Marius.

 

He drinks both mugs himself while he reads through the local paper. There’s a small article about the community centre, and Marius taps it, raising his head to tell Grantaire about it before he remembers that Grantaire isn’t there.

 

“Oh,” he says again.

 

It’s unsettling, and he was already pretty unsettled given that he has a date with Cosette that night. Date number five: a moderately-priced Italian restaurant. He tries to get some study done during the day instead of working himself into a panic, and he’s mostly successful until it comes time to get dressed. He changes clothes five times before he gives up and calls Grantaire.

 

Grantaire picks up on the third ring. “Marius? Hang on, I’m going to go outside.” It’s loud where he is, the band tuning up in the background. There’s the click of a door and the background noise mutes. “Okay, now we’re good.”

 

“I don’t know what to wear for my date tonight,” says Marius, trying to keep his voice at a normal pitch.

 

Grantaire laughs. “You know she’s going to still like you no matter what you wear.”

 

“I don’t want to stick out too much, and what if I over dress, or _under_ dress –“

 

“Marius,” says Grantaire, “deep breaths okay? Where are you going again, that Italian place that Combeferre said was good?”

 

Grantaire talks him through the clothes, possible food choices, and conversation topics before he gets called back to help with the band’s sound check. Marius feels a lot better for talking to him.

 

The date goes smoothly, and he walks Cosette to her door. He’s almost sad she can’t stay over, since he has the house to himself, but tomorrow is the second Sunday of the month, father-daughter brunch day. They do kiss goodbye for a while though. Marius smiles on the drive home, going over the date in his mind.

 

He gets ready for bed, a process which starts by making _one last cup of tea_ while he puts the day’s dishes away. Normally he and Grantaire do this together, when they’re both at home. Marius keeps turning slightly, making room for someone who’s not there. His phone rings, and he jumps slightly at the sudden noise.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Marius!” says Grantaire cheerfully. Marius can hear people talking in the background, laughing and clinking glasses. “I am calling you from the floor right now! How’d everything go?”

 

Marius smiles at Grantaire’s drunk-happy tone. “Really well, Cosette’s wonderful and she said to say hello. Why are you on the floor?”

 

Grantaire laughs. “I keep falling off my chair, it’s weird. I guess I’m too used to leaning on you when we’re on the couch.” There’s some _oohs_ in the background. “No, shut up,” says Grantaire, “Marius has a really comfy shoulders.”

 

Marius laughs, holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he stacks away the plates. “I always thought they were kind of bony actually.”

 

“Whoever said that, I’ll fight them,” says Grantaire.

 

They talk until Grantaire has to go back on stage, and Marius says goodbye with a mouth full of toothpaste. Grantaire laughs as he hangs up, so Marius knows he understood.

 

Marius drifts around the house the next day, watching the clock while he does bits and pieces of classwork. He leaves early to get to the bus station but ends up arriving late, taking a wrong turn without Grantaire in the seat next to him to direct him. Grantaire’s waiting for him inside when he arrives, slouched down in the plastic station seats.

 

“Grantaire!” says Marius, “sorry I’m late, I got _completely_ lost, and –“

 

Grantaire grins at him, pulling him in for a hug and lifting him up a little. Marius laughs.

 

“Here, I got you something,” says Grantaire, releasing Marius to rummage in his backpack.

 

“Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Marius starts to say.

 

Grantaire pushes something wrapped in tissue paper into his hands. “Well, I did, so here.”

 

Marius carefully unwraps it. It’s a mug, a map of the town Grantaire had been with the words ‘wish you were here’ splashed over the top. He looks up at Grantaire.

 

Grantaire shrugs. “It seemed appropriate.”

 

“I – thanks,” says Marius.

 

“So,” says Grantaire, “are we getting out of here or what, because I seriously need a proper shower.”

 

“Musicians don’t have showers?”

 

“They do, but the water pressure was totally shit,” says Grantaire, “seriously, I know ours isn’t great but at least we have some actual pressure going on.”

 

“You have a hard life,” says Marius, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

 

Grantaire shoves him a little as they walk to the car. “The trials I have suffered are innumerable and showers with low water pressure are high on that list. How’d your date with Cosette go by the way, you didn’t tell me.”

 

Marius smiles, and tells Grantaire about how Cosette was (warm and kind and funny as ever), and the food (Combeferre did not steer them wrong, it was excellent), and what they talked about (books, mainly). It’s the last topic that leads Marius on a tangent about the book he’s reading for class. Grantaire follows his train of thought, interjecting with questions and small comments as he leans against the car window, turned towards Marius with his legs drawn up so that his feet are tucked underneath him.

 

When they arrive back at the house, Grantaire turns on the radio and drums his heels in time to the music while Marius shows his the newspaper article about the community centre.

 

“The house was really quiet when you were away,” says Marius.

 

Grantaire stops moving his feet. “Is that you way of telling me to be quiet?”

 

“No, I mean, I like the noise,” says Marius. He feels like he doesn’t quite have the proper words. “The house felt weird without it.”

 

Grantaire starts swinging his feet again, feet thumping against the cupboard door. “Okay.” They’re both silent for a moment, and then Grantaire says, “it was weird on the bus without you, I guess I’m used to you talking while you drive now.”

 

“Is that _your_ way of telling _me_ to be quiet?” asks Marius, half serious.

 

Marius takes a sip of overly-sweet tea out of his new mug, and Grantaire smiles at him, quick and bright. “I kind of like your stories, I always get a lot of information.”

 

Grantaire leaves the radio on while he goes to take a shower. Marius can hear him thumping around upstairs, singing as he goes, and he smiles to himself. The house doesn’t feel so big with Grantaire back home.

 

 

(When Marius eventually meets the members of the band, the lead singer laughs.

 

“Marius! I feel like I know you already. Last time I saw Grantaire he talked about you non-stop,” he says, laughing.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, he kept saying we should come down and meet you, said you were a pretty cool guys.”

 

Marius laughs at that. “I don’t know if _cool_ is really the right word.”

 

Grantaire slings an arm around Marius’ shoulders. “Don’t let him try to fool you, he’s _the coolest_. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the others.”

 

Marius can’t play an instrument or sing, but the guys in the band don’t seem to mind a bit, and Grantaire doesn’t leave his side.)

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always loved: fangirl-squee.tumblr.com/ask


End file.
